The Leviticus Murders: Detective Scott Murphy Series, #1

By Bob Moats

Leviticus, chapter 18, verse 22, from the Bible has been interpreted as “a man having sex with a man, as one does with a woman, is an abomination to God.” Many modern day Christians have used this one archaic law to show hate towards gays. Now a killer is using the rest of the Leviticus laws to punish people for their sins. Most of these laws demand death by stoning or burning. This killer is selecting people for breaking God’s laws and proving the point that if we believe in one law, we have to suffer the rest. To be certain the world knows the sinner’s offense, he leaves chapter and verse spray painted on the walls at the scene of the murders. Detroit Police Detective Scott Murphy is tasked to find the Leviticus killer before he murders again. What is the killer's real agenda and who will be next to die?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Magic 1 Productions
• Release date: Jun 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513031118

Bob Moats

Detroit area resident, Bob Moats, has been writing short stories and plays for as long as he can remember. He has lost most of his original stories, typed or handwritten, in the numerous moves he has made from his hometown of Fraser, Michigan to Northern Michigan, to Las Vegas and back to Fraser, where he now lives. Moats became one of the causalities of unemployment a year ago, and had time on his hands to finally pursue a life long dream of writing a full blown crime novel. Thus was born the first book, "Classmate Murders".What followed was a series of seven books starting with "The Classmate Murders" which introduces the main character, Jim Richards, who has to admit he has become a senior citizen, reluctantly. Richards, one day, receives an email from a childhood sweetheart asking for his help, but by the time he reaches her, she has been murdered. His life turns around and he is pulled into numerous murders of women from his high school who he hasn't seen in forty years. Along with a friend of his, Buck, a big, mustached biker, they go off to track down the killer before he can get to one former classmate, Penny Wickens, a TV talk show host who Jim has just fallen for while protecting her. The killer is also murdering the women right out from under police protection, driving homicide detective Will Trapper crazy, and he slowly depends on Jim to help. There's humor, suspense, wild chases across suburban Detroit with cops, classic cars and motorcycle clubs; murder, mayhem, a good amount of romance and a twist ending.Jim and his crime fighters, continue in the other books, traveling to Las Vegas twice, back to Detroit and out to New York to solve murders involving dominatrix; mistresses; Bridezillas; magic and strip clubs.Book titles: Classmate Murders; Vegas Showgirl Murders; Dominatrix Murders; Mistress Murders; Bridezilla Murders; Magic Murders; Strip Club Murders and Made-for-TV Murders.

Book preview

Chapter One

Leviticus 23:3 - Working on the Sabbath

~~*~~

The man tied to the chair screamed in terror as the hooded figure came up to him. They were in the middle of a large warehouse type building. There was nothing around them, and they were all alone. The man couldn't see a face in the hood, there was a black mask covering it.

The hood spoke, You have sinned against God by working on the Sabbath. I have been sent as an avenging angel to carry out the punishment of death.

The figure had in one hand a long neck lighter, the kind used to start a fire in a barbecue grill. In his other hand he had a small yellow can. The seated man looked to the can and recognized it as the fuel you put into a lighter. He begged for mercy as the hooded figure turned the small nozzle on the can to open it. He then held up the can and squirted the volatile liquid on the seated man's clothing.

The man screamed knowing what was to come. Please don't! I can pay you whatever you want. I have money, lots of it. Please don't do this! He could smell the flammable liquid entering his nostrils and it made him sick to his stomach.

The hooded figure had emptied the remainder of the can on the man and went to a nearby small table, putting the can into a valise resting on the top. He took out a small black book and turned back to the seated man.

He opened the book to a page and read, While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, The man must die. The hood paused, Thou shall not work on the Sabbath. Leviticus 23:3.

A small blue-yellow flame spit out from the long metal tube of the lighter, as the hooded figure brought it to the legs of the screaming man. The flames traveled up his pants, to his shirt where it burst into bigger flames. The hooded figure stood back as the man was screaming in pain and then went silent.

It is done, the hooded figure said. He turned back to the small table and lifted it, taking it and the valise to a wall nearby, setting it next to the wall. He reached into the valise, putting the lighter inside, then bringing out a spray can of paint. The figure went to the wall and sprayed a message on it.

It simply said, Leviticus 23:3 in bright red paint. The figure put the can back into the valise, turned one more time to the victim, satisfied he was dead, and then left the building.

~~*~~

What the hell do you want now, Abbott? the detective asked the man standing by his desk in the squad room.

Hey, Murphy, you want to buy a ticket to my kid's raffle? His school is giving away a fancy boom box.

Boom box? Do they still make those? I thought kids just had those i-thingies and ear phones. Who carries a boom box? Detective Scott Murphy asked Abbott.

Old farts like you carry them. How about a couple tickets?

No, now go away. I'm tired of buying raffle tickets from you. How do I know the money doesn't go into your pocket?

Hey, I'm an honest cop, I wouldn't stiff my kid. He gets all the money.

So your kid keeps it, right? This sounds like a racket to me, Murphy said.

Screw you, Murphy, Abbott uttered and walked away.

Murphy watched the man walk to another detective at his desk and bugged him. Murphy had been in this precinct for almost six years and had bought too many raffle tickets from Abbott. He finally had enough, since he never won anything.

The door to the captain's office opened and the big man stepped out, yelling for Murphy. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard his name and stood. He went to the office as the captain went back to his desk.

You need me, Captain Davis? Murphy asked.

Don't sit down. I have a case for you to get on asap. He held out a folder to Murphy, who took it. Murphy opened the folder and saw the photos of what looked like a man seated, but the man looked like charcoal. Murphy had seen victims of fire before but never tied to a chair.

Mob killing? he asked.

That's for you to find out. Check the last photo.

Murphy pulled out the photo in the back and saw there was a word and numbers sprayed on a wall. The word took Murphy back to his days in Catholic school. It was a scripture from the bible. He couldn't remember exactly what the passage was.

I've been told it has something to do with not working on the Sabbath, under penalty of death. I guess someone took it seriously, the captain said.

You think this death was caused by the vic working on Sunday? Murphy asked.

You tell me, it's your case now. The Archdiocese of Detroit is upset that this looks like a religious killing. They don't want this to spread. Find this perp and put an end to this.

Murphy wasn't a big fan of religion, after spending years being pushed around by Nuns. This would be a task for him, but as a cop he had to protect and serve.

Is forensics done with their investigation? he asked.

You can go see what they have. Now get on it! the captain barked.

Murphy turned back to the door and went out. He looked to the desk of his partner, Matt Leslie, but the man wasn't there. Murphy knew he was about two months from retirement, so he was usually hiding out somewhere in the building, leaving Murphy to do the running.

He went out of the squad room and down the stairs to the forensic labs. He entered the main lab and found Jennifer Koppens at a table with lots of equipment spread all over it. Murphy had no idea what kind of magic they did down here, but they usually found some evidence to make his life easier on a case.

Hey, Jen, what's up? Murphy asked with a grin.

My blood pressure is up. I have too many cases that need evidence and I'm short-handed here. Two of my team members are out with what they say are colds. Hell, I used to work with the flu. I suppose you want the evidence from the Leviticus Killer?

Leviticus Killer? They gave him a name already?

Well, the perp sprayed the wall with a passage from Leviticus, so they gave him a name, she replied.

Do you know the passage? he asked her.

Ken, from trace, told me it had to do with being a sin to work on the Sabbath. If that's true then we all should burn in hell.

It is from the bible, in Leviticus, and if I remember correctly the Levitican laws were a covenant between God and the Children of Israel, or the Jews. Old Testament laws were meant for Jews, not New Testament Christians, which seems to be lost on a lot of holy people.

You seem well versed on the subject, she said with a smile.

Spent my formative years imprisoned in a Catholic boarding school run by Nazi Nuns, he said with a frown.

Jennifer laughed aloud then stopped. I'm sorry, but the image was funny.  Did they have little moustaches like the fuhrer?

Some did, now, do you have anything on our toasted vic?

We managed to salvage his wallet at the scene. He was Wallace Brown, owner of the warehouse he was torched in. His wife said he was working in the warehouse that day.

Who told the wife?

The detective who responded to the call. Paul Dickson. The coroner gave him the wallet but we got the info from it first.

Why didn't Dickson follow the case? Why was I called in?

Couldn't tell you why. You being here is the first I knew you were assigned the case.

Murphy thought on that. He'd have to contact Dickson and find out why he was bumped from the job.

Jennifer went through the details of how Brown was torched but didn't have much else.

The perp didn't leave much in the way of evidence. The spray paint was your garden variety type that can be purchased in any store. Although I deduce that the killer was left-handed by the sloping of the words on the wall. Sorry Scott, that's all I got.

Thanks Jen, if you come up with anything else, call me.

I will, she replied.

Murphy left the lab and went back up the stairs. He thought about going to the warehouse to get a feel for the scene, since he wasn't called in as first response. He'd also wanted to call Dickson about why he wasn't pursuing the case.

Back in the squad room, his partner Matt was still absent. He called to one of the other detectives and asked him to have Matt call him. Before he left he called Dickson. The detective answered his phone and Murphy told him who he was.

I know all about you, Murphy. I got pulled in favor of you, Dickson said over the phone.

Why? Murphy asked.

Well, it seems you have some background in religion so you were requested by the Archdiocese to handle the case.

**

Chapter Two

––––––––

Leviticus 20:27 - Mediums or spiritualists

~~*~~

Crap, Murphy thought. It had to be his cousin, Daniel, who brought up his name. Daniel was five years older than Murphy and spent most of his life in seminary and then as a priest for the last ten years. Daniel was involved somehow in public relations for the church and internal affairs, investigating church atrocities. He had a number of priests reassigned to other parishes for what was never said, but hinted as to involving children.

Hey, Paul, I never asked for this. I may have a bit of background in religion, but I'm not a fan of it, Murphy defended himself. He didn't want it spread around that he was some kind of liaison between the department and the church.

Don't worry about it, Murph, I wasn't really interested in chasing some religious nutbag killer. You can have it with my blessings, he laughed at his choice of words.

Thanks, Paul. Do you have any slant on it, since you were at the crime scene?

"Straight forward case, poor slob was working on the Sabbath and someone didn't feel it was right. He was torched alive, and the perp left a calling card on the wall. It was from Leviticus in the Old Testament, so I called him the Leviticus Killer.

Murphy wondered if this one law of God was going to be the end of it. Murphy thought back on how there were over seventy ancient laws about what you can't do without offending God. Most violators were subject to being killed for breaking the commandment.

Thanks, I think I know how I was recommended for this. Talk later, Murphy said and hung up.

He had to have a talk with his cousin and set him straight on interference with police business.

He stood looking around for his partner, but still didn't see him. Murphy liked working alone most of the time, so having Matt hiding out was fine with him. He went out of the squad room and down to the street. His unmarked car was still parked where he left it and he headed across the road to it. He looked back at the building, which had been his precinct for the last six years and felt it was time for a change. Maybe go work in some suburban cop shop, north of the city. Nice cushy desk job chasing shoplifters and burglars. He had enough of the crime in the city and the animals he had to chase down.

He got in the unmarked police cruiser and went to the building housing the Archdiocese of Detroit on State Street, which Daniel worked out of. The tall building gave him the creeps, it was old and, he felt, evil looking. But that was just his opinion, based on nightmares from his life in the Catholic boarding school. He pulled into a nearby parking lot and found a space. He stood at the entrance craning his neck to look up at the building. He figured there had to be twelve stories or so. He entered the front door and found a priest sitting at a desk in the lobby. The small plaque on the desk said, Information.

May I help you? the priest asked.

I need to see Father Daniel Murphy, Murphy replied.

And you are? the man asked.

Detective Scott Murphy, Detroit Police, Murphy said and noticed the priest's left eyebrow raise a hair or two. Maybe he was known here as Daniel's cousin.

If you go to the fourth floor, down a hallway, room 412, you'll find him, he intoned with a deep voice. Almost like a chant.

Thank you, Murphy said with a smile.

You're most welcome, Detective Murphy, the priest smiled back.

Murphy went to an elevator and up to the fourth floor. He went down the long hallway passing various men of the cloth, rushing around, each in their own little world. A sign on a door said Public Relations, 412, so he entered.

He was greeted by another priest and asked for Daniel. The priest pointed to a door and said to go there. Murphy went to the door and looked in, he saw Daniel sitting at a desk studying the screen of a computer. Murphy coughed softly.

Father Daniel looked away from the screen and gave his cousin a surprised expression. You found me after all these years. Nice of you to visit.

Murphy entered the office and said, You haven't changed, still sarcastic. I suppose that's what the priesthood teaches you?

No, it's from dealing with the idiots who run the church. I do my best to keep this all together, but it's a big Diocese covering lots of churches and counties. I suppose you're here to scold me for getting you involved with the killing yesterday?

How did you know about the killing? Murphy asked.

Word travels fast when a murder involves anything religious. The quote from Leviticus in regards to the killing sent up flags. I knew you understood what the Roman Catholic Church was about so I pulled a few strings to get you involved.

"Well, it didn't make the detective in charge happy to be pulled from the case, but